Was Jesus Married? Part 6—Points to Consider (Pro-Marriage)

Now, we’ll continue looking at those viewpoints from the Wiki Answers discussion that at least open the door to Jesus being married. This is the second part of a single quote from Wike Answers.

Jesus’ support group

A group of women were part of a ‘support team’ who supplied material needs to the disciples and Jesus when they were able. Many incidental details are recorded in Jesus’ life.

As to this, we read in Luke 8:2-3 the following:

And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils,
And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. (emphasis mine.)

From BibleHistory.com we read:

In light of what we know about Jewish life in the first century A.D. Jesus’ teaching must have seemed very radical. He was not one to show partiality. In fact many women followed Jesus… including prostitutes. There is mention of Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, the “other Mary”, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and of course Mary and Martha. ( Women in Ancient Israel )

I am not sure where the idea came from that prostitutes followed Jesus around, but it didn’t come from the Bible.

And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him
Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children. (Matthew 27:55-56.)

Women were only allowed to receive very little education on religion and the main religious instruction in the home was given by the man and not the woman. They could not be disciples of any great rabbi, they certainly could not travel with any rabbi.

Yet, here we have a number of women traveling with and caring for Jesus and his apostles. How does one explain that?

People’s New Testament says this about Luke 8:2:

And certain women. That these women should attend the footsteps of Christ was opposed to the custom of Palestine. The admixture of the sexes was not common. The rabbis held that the law should not be taught to women.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary said this:

certain women . healed, &c.-on [sic] whom He had the double claim of having brought healing to their bodies and new life to their souls. Drawn to Him by an attraction more than magnetic, they accompany Him on this tour as His almoners-ministering unto Him of their substance.

Dictionary.com explains almoner as “a person whose function or duty is the distribution of alms on behalf of an institution, a royal personage, a monastery, etc.”

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible had an interesting thing to say about these women:

which ministered unto him of their substance; four ancient copies of Beza’s, and five of Stephens’s, and the Syriac version read, “which ministered unto them”; that is, to Christ, and his disciples, as the Persic version expresses it. This shows the gratitude of these women, who having received favours from Christ, both for their souls and bodies, make returns to him out of their worldly substance, in a way of thankfulness; and also the low estate of Christ, and his disciples, who stood in need of such ministrations.

So, while there were many women following Jesus wherever he went, including to hill of the cross, some appeared to be married, but of others we are not told their marital status. Could one or more of these women be married to Christ?

And, if that’s not enough to get your blood flowing and boiling, stay tuned.